


don't say "I love you" (it's the only way to breathe)

by hotrodngold



Series: Turn It Off and Wait Ten Seconds [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Curtain Fic, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Steve Rogers Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 06:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14868317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotrodngold/pseuds/hotrodngold
Summary: Tony is beautiful.Steve, of course, already knew this; he’s an artist, he observes the physical form, he knows that Tony Stark is attractive.But.





	don't say "I love you" (it's the only way to breathe)

“–but if you take away his toys, Clint’ll learn,” Tony says with a wry grin that crinkles the corners of his eyes.

Steve blinks, a normal human autonomic function, and the world shifts four degrees to the right, and rotates 40° clockwise on the vertical axis. 

Tony is beautiful.

Steve, of course, already knew this; he’s an artist, he observes the physical form, he knows that Tony Stark is attractive.

But.

His smile lights up Steve’s insides, his laugh brightens the surrounding colours. There’s a gravitational force that draws Steve to him unerringly and he feels it in his soul, embraces it with his breath. That’s not something Figure Drawing taught him.

Talking with Tony is the high point of his day, and if he ends a day without even a text about modding a turbocharger onto the ‘76 Roadster, he finds it lacking. He wakes up with Tony on his mind, he goes to sleep to dream about him, and he buys small, stupid, meaningless souvenirs because he knows Tony collects them.

“-I mean, granted, I’m not going to _deprive_ him; he’ll still get upgrades,” Tony says, hand waving to illustrate some point and–

“I love you,” falls out of Steve’s mouth without his consent.

Tony stops.

“What,” Tony says.

“What?” Steve asks. Clears his throat. 

He resists the urge to shift.

“Did you just,” Tony says.

Steve purses his lips.

“I said, ‘I love you,’” Steve repeats.

“No, you don’t,” Tony says over him.

“Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t, you’re just imagining... that.”

“Don’t tell me what I feel,” Steve frowns. “I said I love you and I mean it.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Tony, for the love of God, I’m not kidding.”

“Are you concussed?” Tony asks.

“No! You’ve been with me for the last hour.” He can feel himself fighting a smile, “I’ve just fallen in love with you.”

“Why would you _do_ that?”

Steve looks to the ceiling, utterly exasperated, but also too happy to be properly annoyed about it. This tiny, irritating, baffling, man has stolen his heart and he doesn’t even realize it.

“You don’t pick who you love,” Steve says. He’s trying not to find it disheartening that Tony hasn’t said anything back, but it’s honestly such a wonderful feeling, making that discovery, that he knows when it hurts, it’s gonna punch him a long while out.

“Well, you could try?” Tony says. He honestly looks baffled.

“Why? I think you’re pretty amazing, actually,” Steve stops fighting the smile.

Tony considers.

“I _am_ pretty amazing...” he says.

Steve nods, grinning, “Exactly.”

“And you just...,” back to being confused.

“And I just,” Steve confirms.

“Huh.” Both of Tony’s eyebrows raise.

“And this is... new?” Tony asks.

“No, I think I’ve felt this way for awhile,” Steve admits. He’s remembering a hospital visit and a bouquet larger than it’s bearer, a Raiders of the Lost Ark rewatch that cumulated in sleepy cuddles in the too early hours of the morning, too many sleepless nights over just as many pans of hot cocoa.

“Oh.”

They’re both silent for a long while, Steve’s joy slowly dissolving under an onslaught of nerves, Tony staring out the common room windows.

“Yeah, okay. Me, too.”

Steve blinks. “You, too, what?”

“I think I love you, too.”

Steve’s face spasms, like it can’t decide if it should grin or frown, which is convenient, because those would both be accurate descriptions of his feelings right about then.

“You _think_?”

“Well, excuse me, not all of us–,” Tony abruptly cuts himself off, and sighs. “Yeah, no. I do. I do love you, too.”

“You could sound a little less like you’re going to the gallows,” Steve points out, hopefully.

Tony’s face contorts, “I’m still not convinced this is going to do anything but crash and burn, Rogers. We–”

“Could you not call me that when we’re discussing our mutual feelings abo–”

“God you said ‘feelings,’ here we go, this is–”

“For fuck’s sak–”

“ _Language_ –”

“Is this really how the rest of our lives are going to go?” Steve asks loudly.

Tony stops.

“The _rest_ of our lives,” Tony repeats.

Steve’s brain grinds to a halt.

_Shit._

...

_In for a penny...._

“Yes?” Steve asks.

“The _rest_ ,” Tony repeats again, stepping closer.

Steve licks his lips, “The rest. I’m not in this for a roll in the hay. You’re my best friend. I wake up thinking about you. I see random things in the grocery store that I know would amuse you. I see a sunset that takes my breath away on missions and want you there so I can share it with you even though I know you’d be bored out of your mind not even half a day into it. I go into mission briefings and spend twenty minutes after asking myself what you’d do if you were there. I look for you as soon as I come home, and if I haven’t talked to you in a _day_ it feels like too long.”

Steve takes his own step closer.

“I’m in this as long as you’ll have me, Tony,” he says quietly. He takes a risk, reaches down, holds one of Tony’s hands in both of his. “If that’s as a partner in the field only, I can deal with that. If its as a partner in everything else, too....” he trails off.

Tony glances up from where he’d been staring at their hands.

“This could end in fire,” Tony says.

“It could not,” Steve counters.

“It probably won’t,” Tony agrees. “Just so everyone’s clear, though; I did say it.”

“It won’t,” Steve repeats. He reaches up, runs a thumb over the edge of Tony’s goatee, hoping.

“Yes, please,” Tony says, and leans in.

Steve’s smiling almost too much to make the kiss perfect. 

Almost, but not quite.

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaahhhhh! I finally got these two fuckers to confess!!!


End file.
